Media personality, Terri-Karelle Reid greets LASCO Beverages Marketing Manager, Danielle Cunningham (right), ahead of the launch of Kill Fear, which is authored by Communications Consultant Krystal Tomlinson. The book launch held at Christ Church on Antrim Road on Monday September 10, 2018 was sponsored by LASCO iCool.

Diedre McKenzie is armed and ready to kill her biggest fears and accomplish her dreams.

1

2

3

4

Is fear your ally or your enemy? Do you believe you are holding back from fulfilling your greatest potential from the fear of not only failing, but being a disappointment to your friends, family and even yourself? Krystal Tomlinson highlights her greatest fears with the launch of her first book, Kill Fear, which focuses on training the mind to think positively and encourages self-care in order to overcome your greatest fears.

"My truth is a painful truth and it makes it very hard to judge, especially teenagers, because I got another shot at it," said Tomlinson.

At age 14, Tomlinson embarked on a turbulent journey after experiencing the loss of her father who was diagnosed with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

"At 14, I did not know how to process that and my body was telling me that is the direction that I was supposed to go. It was time to take some risks," she reflected.

The family later moved to Manchester where she found it difficult to adapt to the change in her environment, and her body, as she began puberty and coping with a deceased father who died from a sexually transmitted disease.

"I did not know how to handle it. Therefore, every bad stare was a fight and every supposed rumour was a showdown. It got to the point where I was bringing knives to school and a change of clothes to leave and go out and fight with people and people coming on the campus to fight with me over foolishness," said Tomlinson.

Tipping Point

The tipping point for Tomlinson did not occur until she was denied admission into sixth form at her former high school.

"The principal all but laughed my mother out of the room, because there was no way he was going to accept me back into that school. I had gone through the gate and she needs to find somewhere to put me because he is no longer responsible and he carries no guilt about that," she explained.

Tomlinson watched her mother walk out of the school with a look of shock and shame.

"When I saw the look on her face, it was the moment I said I don't want to be this person anymore, but I had no confidence in my ability to do what I had to do to become that other person," she said.

"When people today tell me how much of a role model I am, I always remember 16-year-old Krystal, who was just careless," she said.

Another Chance

With tears in her eyes, she admitted at that moment, she got another chance to decide who she wanted to be and made little steps towards becoming that person.

"From age 16 to now at age 28, I consciously made that decision, not to be that person anymore that brings shame to my family or allows my fear and ignorance to drive me to a life that would not have been fulfilling."

The book, Kill Fear, was written for persons who are brave enough to interrogate themselves and decide what they want their future to look like.

"Is that future going to be guided by people's opinions, a fear that if they don't agree with you, you no longer belong? Is that future going to be driven by the fear of being alone where you keep people who have no right to be in your space, but you let them because being alone does not look good or telling people you just have one friend just don't sound right. To say that you are single and ok does not sound right and it is not a hashtag that anybody can find," she laughed.

Each chapter focuses on questions such as, will your fear drive you to a life of absolute mediocrity and will you choose to kill it? What if I decided to be a leader in my space and not a follower? What if I decided to be an example for those who I was influencing to do the worst things? What if I could stand in front of the youths and inspire them to do something different?

"In lower six, at age 16, I just said let's do it, and I have not stopped doing it," said Tomlinson, who thanked every single person and family member who have supported her in creating her book. She also gave a special thanks to sponsors which include MegaMart, KIA, Lasco ICool, Blooms &Branches, Island Signs Outdoor Advertising, CPJ Foods, Jamaica Mountain Peak, Public Broadcasting Corporation of Jamaica, JN Small Business Loans and Pastry Passions. Kill Fear is available at MegaMart and on Amazon.